Album Review: Headsticks – Kept In The Dark

It’s not often I get a good old fashioned CD sent over for review, so when Headsticks latest album, Kept In The Dark, arrived in the post I got that tactile element from a release that is always missing from the digital experience. Even before playing a note you can’t help but be impressed by the artwork, that depicts some suspicious looking mushrooms, and what is essentially an illustrated lyric book, but packaging is just the superficial side of their latest full length, the meat and bones of any release is the music and this sixteen track, almost hour long, album doesn’t disappoint on any level.

Kept In The Dark follows in the wake of their two previous albums, 2014’s Muster and 2016’s Feather And Flame, and is their first for STP Records, the opening hard edged energetic political blast of punk rock of When? makes for an impressive opening. Throughout the album Headsticks veer across the musical spectrum taking in dub, post punk, ska, folk punk, spoken word and hardcore along the way to create and unpredictable and impressive album. Despite the constant switches in style Headsticks always retain their own sound and stamp their own imprint firmly on every song.

Listening To Kept In The Dark you just know this is a band who are at the best when enjoyed in a sweaty festival crowd after imbibing of the poison of your choice. After hearing Kept In The Dark I’ll be making damn sure that I catch them over the upcoming warmer months when Headsticks will be touring across the UK, including their return to the Rebellion Festival and an appearance at Bearded Theory Festival.

Headsticks website is here and you can also find them on Facebook and Twitter

You can pre-order Kept In The Dark on CD and vinyl here

The STP Records website can be found here